Lawn mower



L. J. PULS LAWN MOWER Aug. 21, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 15, 1947Aug. 21, 1951 L, 1 PULS 2,565,044

LAWN MowER Filed oct. 15, 1947 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Aug. 21, 1951UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LAWN MOWER Application October 15, 1947,Serial No. 779,962

(Cl. srs-25.4)

2 Claims.

This invention relates to trimming or cutting growths of vegetation, andis adapted for effective service beyond that normally required for alawn mower of a power type.

This invention has utility when incorporated in a light weight, rigidcarrier deck for a prime mover, with transmission therefrom to ahighspeed cutting disk of hot rolled steel provided with sharpenedself-hardening weld blade portions.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the invention embodied in a pusher type oflawnA mower of sheet metal body, parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged scale view from the front or left ofFig. 1, showing a portion of the guard and the adjustable heightmounting for the knife disk or blade;

Fig. 3 is a partial view from the rear or right of Fig. l, somewhatenlarged, with the directing or propulsion handle removed;

Fig. 4 is a View on the line IV-IV, Fig. 2, showing the shaft only insection, looking down on a portion of the cutting disk for the mower;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on the line V-V, Fig. 4, showing theweld-mounted knife edge for the cutting disk;

Fig. 6 is a plan view, with parts broken away,

of an embodiment of the invention, wherein the deck or body is a castunit, as of aluminum;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged section from the line VII-VII, Fig. 6, showing theclamp for adjusting the pitch of the stair to the handle as to the deckof the mower;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line VIII-VIII, Fig. 6, showing the cutterlocation under the deck; and

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail, with parts broken away, of the cuttingdisk assembly with the drive shaft therefor.

The weld-assembled deck truck Vfrom the deck I.

Skirt stiffening mountings 'I at the inner side of the skirts 3 anddownward from the deck I, have anchored therein a front axle or shaft 8and rearwardly from and parallel to the shaft 8y is a second shaft 9 inthe skirt 3. Roller bearing equipped rubber tired ground wheels I0 onthe shafts 8, say for a 24" width deck I, may be 10" in diameter, andsimilar wheels II on the shaft 9, say of l2 in diameter.

At the top of the deck I and rearwardly, centrally above the clearance 5is an eye I2'. Equally spaced therefrom are additional eyes I3, I4.

Light gage tubing I5, say of airplane type, has pivotal connection I6with the eye I2. The upwardly directed bar or staff I5 terminates inacross handle I '1. l

Pivot pins I8 in the eyes I3, I4, coaxial with the pivot pin I6, connectstruts I 9, upwardly and rearwardly converging to welds providinganchoring means with a sleeve 20 embracing the directing handle tubingI5. The operator locates the cross bar I1 of the handle at the desiredheight, and then tightens a wing bolt 2| to lock the sleeve 2U with thetubing I5, thereby to hold the handle at such adjusted position rigidlyrelatively to the deck I.

The drive and the mounting therefor In order to provide reinforcementfor the deck top I, as well as mounting means, welds x angle pieces 22,herein shown as extending about 15 away from parallel to the sides ofthe deck I. A prime mover or power drive, herein shown as a four cyclegas engine 23, is anchored with the base pieces 22, and thereby held inposition on the deck I.

A grooved pulley 24 is driven by the motor 23 and has therefrom a crossV-belt 25 extending past a vertical axis guide roller 26, rising fromthe deck I. The belt '25 drives a grooved pulley 2'I keyed on a verticalshaft 28. Coacting with the shaft 28 are anti-friction bearings 2'9 in asleeve 30. The sleeve 30 is adjustable up and down in its extent thruthe deck I, by a clamp mounting 3I. In the practice hereunder, the shaft28 may have a speed of from 500 to 1000 R. P. M. Some speed changes maybe from control of the motor 23. Additionally, the pulleys 24, 21, maybe substitutive to provide different driving speeds for the shaft 28,even tho the motor 23 may be operated at a constant speed.

In addition to the reinforcement of the deck top I by the angle basepieces 22 for the motor 23, welds 2' anchor a rib 32 crosswise of thedeck I to the clamp 3l. Also rearwardly from the clamp 3| there is a rib33 to the eye I2. The rib 33, thruout its length, has weld 2 bondingwith the deck I. The ribs above deck and the skirting provide strengthand rigidity in a light weight structure.

The guard A weld 2"' fiXedly anchors a hot rolled sheet steel disk 31(Fig. 9) with a collar 4I having from its free end a pair of diametricalnotches 42'. Crosswise as to these notches is a bolt 43 thru the lowerend of the shaft 28. The ends of the bolt 43 are countersunk in thecollar 4|. The bolt 43 clamps the collar 4l' with the shaft 28 (Fig. 9).The steel of the disk 31 is tough, of great strength to resist forceapplied thereto, but will bend or yield before fracture. In practice thedisk may be around 1/8" thick, or #l0 or #Il gage, and 18" to 28" indiameter, as herein being 22". A plurality of teeth 33 have cutting edgeportions 39 of self-hardening welding rod material or electrodes of say1/8 diameter Stoody type or #'12 Special Phillips self hardening.Bonding 40 (Fig. 5) is a weld anchoring for the material to takegrinding to a rigid cutting edge 39 for the disk 31.

In the practice hereunder, for lawn mowing operations when the grass besay under 6" in height, it is usually preferred to leave the detachableguard 34, 35, 36', in a sort of pre-raking position ahead of the cuttingblade or horizontally extending rotating disk 31. The disk 31 on itsvertical axis shaft 28 is of rigidity to hold up under severe serviceoperations. The lower tips of the pins or teeth 35 may be about 21/2 upfrom the ground surface or the lower tread face of the four wheels l,Il. Upon removal of the guard 35i, 35, 36, notwithstanding the deck Imay be in the range of but 6 to 7 ground clearance, the high rotativespeed for the cutting blade or disk 31, renders this mower eiective forcutting growths of height considerably above the deck I, and even ofwoody or tough weed in character. In fact, by pushing the deck forward,so that the cutting blade as about l inward, is in attack relation,growths as high as fiveY feet have been cut.

The position of the blade 31. upward from the ground surface is readilyadjusted by loosening the clamp 3| and thrusting the sleeve 35.) upwardor downward thru the opening therefor in the deck l. At the desiredspacing upward from the ground, the clamp 3l is reset. The long straightguide roller 26 is in position to direct the belt 25 in its cross extenttoward and from the driven pulley 21.

In operation, the high speed of cutting rotation for the disk 31 quicklyand efficiently cuts the growth in a plane parallel to the deck l andtherebelow. The advance or forward edge of the cutting portion 39 is atthe lower side of the disk 31. The body of the disk 31, as of yhotrolled steel, is tough against fracture, and the weld bindings 40 are soeffective that breaking off and throwing thereof is not experienced evenin severe operations, such as the striking of stone, metal objects, orlike obstructions which the blade may not enter. The hazard from suchirregularity in treatment is, at most, only a bending of the disk body31. In order to cure such difficulty, the operator could at once hattenthe disk.

The disk 31 throws material as mowed, back over the top of the disk 31under the deck l and between the skirts 3. The mowed stock thus isquickly delivered in central spill from the rear clearance 5 asdirectedv by the converging portions 4.

Circumferentially as to the disk 31, the teeth 38 have the long straightinwardly extending backing of strengthening value as opposite from theradially extending cutting edge 39.

Cast one-piece deck body (Figs. 6, 8)

Lightness and strength is retained in adopting a unit having a deck 44hat in general extent to a drop back 45 about half the downward extentof skirt sides 46. Rearward narrowing at portion 41 is only slight.Bolts 48, 49, thru the skirts 46 provide axles or rigid mounting for thewheels lli', l l. Arc openings 5l) thru the deck 44 relieve forward arcportions 5l of a central collar or flange 52 rising from the deck 64.From this collar 51?. integral reinforcing ribs 53 diverge at .the topof the deck Q4. The collar arc portions 5i merge into a reinforcementrib 54.

A clamping bolt 3i serves to draw up the portions 5l to firmly embracethe sleeve 30 at adjusted position sought up or down as to the deck 64.A set screw 55 fixes a sleeve extension or shield 55 with the sleeve 36to extend into proximity to the disk 31 about the collar 4l. There isthus left exposed above the disk 31 no rotating region which might. tendto wind grass, wire or other strand material thereon to tend to clog theequipment.

The side arc strip 35', at its medial portion has a lug 51 thru whichextends a wing screw 58 to detachably clamp the strip 35 with the deck44 forward end.

Bolt openings 5e in the deck 44 (Fig. S) provide means for directlymounting the prime mover E3', herein shown at an angle of in the rangeof 25 to 3G for the plane of the pulley 24 as to the medial fore and aftline of the vdeck 455.

The high speed of rotation for the cutting disk 21', in practice,develops quite a velocity for throwing cut material or objects which maybe struck. For the protection of the operator who may be directing thehandle l1', there is located a rod eil (Fig. 8) extending between theskirts i6 somewhat forward of the drop back 65. A weld anchor wrap Elmounts a depending wing or shield Si?. freely to hang and drag along thesurface of the ground. rlhis shield is of vsuch extent, as of sheetsteel, that in its swinging backward and upward, it strikes the loweredge of the portion 45. As against the aluminum of the deck llt and itsback portion 45, the shield t2 is` a protection against fracture fromimpact by a thrown object.

The eyes i3', i4 (Fig. 6) are spaced somewhat forwardly of the drop back45, with the converging struts !9 therefrom to a bolt 63 (Fig. 7) at asplit sleeve clamp 54, providing ready adjustment for the desiredelevation to be set for the handle l1'.

The power unit herein is adapted for a vwide range of mowing or cuttingoperations. As manually directed, the regions for use may be adopted asconforming to operating conditions.

There is taken into account the direction of rotation of the cuttingdisk 25T-clockwise in Fig. S-to provide a shield or extension forwardlyfrom the right hand side skirt portion et, thereby to protect the rightforward wheel lil from having cut matter or particles throwntheretoward.

What is claimed and it is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a lawn mower having a horizontal rotating cutting blade mounted ona vertical shaft journalled in a horizontal deck upon which deck thepower source for rotating said blade is mounted, a manipulating handleconnected to one end of said deck, and parallel side skirts dependingfrom said deck to which skirts supporting wheels are mounted, theimprovement comprising a downwardly extending rear skirt portionintegral with said deck and a shield pivotally mounted between said sideskirts adjacent the under side of said deck less than the depth of theshield distance from said rear skirt portion, whereby said rear skirtportion acts as a stop to limit the rearward swing of said shield.

2. In the lawn mower of claim 1 wherein said handle is directly pivotedto the central after portion of said deck and there are converging strutmeans also pivoted to the deck and extending to a clamp on the handleaway from the deck, said clamp being adjustable along the handle to bethere held in fixing the handle with the deck for transmitting up anddown movement of the handle to rock the deck on said supporting wheelstherefor.

LAWRENCE J. PULS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis partent:

Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Lawson July 31, 1906 CogleyAug. 18, 1925 Sharp May 19, 1931 Lundin Feb. 26, 1935 Bolens Oct. 15,1935 Goodall July 23, 1940 Urschel Dec. 1'7, 1940 Loder Feb. 18, 1941Phelps Dec. 9, 1941 Phelps July 2, 1946 Nabors July l2, 1949 Phillips etal Nov. 15, 1949 Phelps June 13, 1950

